Author: Andres-Papazian

ASSOCIATION OF ARMENIAN CINEMATOGRAPHERS TO BE ESTABLISHED

Panorama
July 15 2010
Armenia

At the offer of the French-Armenian renowned cinematographer, producer
Alen Terzyan, Association of Armenian Cinematographers worldwide will
be established. The suggestion will be discussed Thursday evening by
all the Armenian cinematographers who have arrived in Armenia in the
frames of Golden Apricot 7th International Film Festival, the director
of the festival Harutyun Khanchatryan said today.

According to him, the initiative aims at supporting all the Armenians
worldwide, who want to take a step into the world of the cinema and
make a career as film directors.

“Talented people, who don’t have any sponsors and have no rich dadies,
often remain in the shade. We should help them,” he said.

The headquarters of the Association will be in Armenia as “we are
their father, their mother”, he said. As H. Khachatryan noted, he is
intent to meet with the PM, Diaspora and Culture Ministers to talk
over the issue.

Golden Apricot 7th International Film Festival got underway in Yerevan
July 11 and is due by July 18. VivaCell-MTS is the general sponsor of
the festival.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJANI DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS YEREVAN ‘HIDING’ SOLDIER’S BODY

news.az
July 15 2010
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry An Azerbaijani Defence Ministry spokesman
has accused Armenia of finding excuses not to return the body of a
soldier killed in a contact line clash.

Soldier Mubariz Ibrahimov was killed in an incident on 18 June in
which four soldiers of the Karabakh forces also died.

The Armenian side said earlier that they could not return the body
as they had not been approached officially by Azerbaijan, Defence
Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu told APA news agency today.

“Now Armenia has made a new claim,” Sabiroglu said. “They told the
International Committee of the Red Cross that Ibrahimov’s body was
neither in Armenia nor Nagorno Karabakh. This prompts the question:
why did the Armenian defence and foreign ministries say the next
morning that Ibrahimov’s body had been left together with his weapons
on the opposite side? What were they getting at when they kicked up
a fuss that they had not been approached officially?”

Sabiroglu said the Armenian side had “decided to hide the body,
which is incompatible with human values”.

He expressed Azerbaijan’s support for the ICRC. “The Defence Ministry
of Azerbaijan believes that the International Committee of the Red
Cross will see its mission through. Otherwise, Armenia’s action will
create a precedent and Armenia will be responsible for it.”

Earlier today, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that he believed
Azerbaijan would be able to have the body returned with the help of
the Red Cross.

ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger said in a letter to Azerbaijan’s
ombudswoman, Elmira Suleymanova, that he too was hoping for a positive
outcome.

Suleymanova revealed to ANS Press today the contents of Kellenberger’s
letter, which was a reply to her earlier letter about Armenia’s
failure to return the body of Mubariz Ibrahimov.

“The actions of the Armenians contravene humanitarian principles,”
Suleymanova quoted Kellenberger as saying. “Talks on this subject
are continuing. Action is being taken in response to the appeals from
your state and ombudsman. We shall let you know the outcome. I hope
for a positive outcome. We are now waiting for one.”

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA: GEORGIA PIPELINE SALE NO CONCERN

United Press International UPI
July 15 2010

YEREVAN, Armenia, July 15 (UPI) — There are no immediate concerns
from Armenia about talks of privatizing a Georgian natural gas pipeline
from Russia, the Armenian energy minister said.

The government in Tbilisi announced a measure last week that could
eventually privatize the so-called North-South pipeline that moves
Russian natural gas through its country to Armenian markets.

The Armenian government worried that the state energy company of its
foes in Azerbaijan could move on the pipeline, which could result in
gas pressure on Armenia.

Armen Movsisian, the Armenia energy minister, said he was confident
that Georgia wouldn’t move in a direction that would threaten the
energy security of his country, the Armenian bureau of Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty reports.

“We have no concerns at the moment,” he said. “Even if the pipeline
is put up for sale, that will not create any emergency situations
for our country.”

Opposition groups in Tbilisi say the sale could give Russian more
control over the regional energy market. Georgian Prime Minister
Nika Gilauri, however, brushed off concerns, saying his country would
remain the principal owner of the pipeline.

From: A. Papazian

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER TO ATTEND OSCE MEETING IN ALMATY

Journal of Turkish Weekly
July 15 2010

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will attend the Organization
for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in Almaty,
Kazakhstan, on Friday.

Foreign ministers and high-level officials from 56 OSCE-member states
will gather at an unofficial meeting in Almaty to discuss recent
developments about Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan as well as the Upper
Karabakh dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev will make opening remarks of the
meeting.

“Kyrgyzstan Action Plan” prepared by Davutoglu about the incidents
in Kyrgyzstan will be high on agenda of the meeting.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia will
discuss the Upper Karabakh dispute at a meeting to be held on the
sidelines of the OSCE gathering with the participation of foreign
ministers of OSCE Minsk Group and of Kazakhstan which is currently
holding the rotating presidency of the organization.

From: A. Papazian

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER TO MEET AZERBAIJANI, ARMENIAN COUNTERPARTS

news.az
July 15 2010
Azerbaijan

Ahmet Davutoglu Ahmet Davutoglu will hold separate meetings with Edward
Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov during the OSCE summit in Almaty.

According to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, the ministers will discuss
the current situation of the Karabakh conflict settlement and the
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement process.

The talks will exchange views on the Lachin corridor, linking Karabakh
and Armenia, and the future deployment of international peacekeeping
forces in the conflict area. International peacekeepers will be under
the auspices of international organizations.

After Armenia returns five occupied districts to Azerbaijan, its
borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey will open, Hurriyet said.

Armenian Foreign Ministry press secretary Tigran Balayan neither
confirmed nor denied the information in the Turkish media about the
meeting of the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers in Almaty.

“No information on the meeting of Armenian and Turkish foreign
ministers is available,” Balayan told News.am.

From: A. Papazian

EU-ARMENIA ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT NEGOTIATION TO BE LAUNCHED ON JULY 19

15/07/2010

EU launches negotiations on Association Agreements with Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia

The first round of negotiations on an Association Agreement with
Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia will take place in the capitals of the
three South Caucasus countries next week. The Agreements presuppose
commitments of the parties to a set of shared values and will cover a
wide range of areas, including Political dialogue, Justice, freedom
and security, as well as trade and cooperation in sectoral policies
and will help the countries to take on board key elements of the
EU~Rs legislation and standards..

The EU is launching the negotiations on the occasion of first
Plenary Meetings to be held in Batumi (Georgia), on 15 July, in Baku
(Azerbaijan) on 16 July and in Yerevan (Armenia) on 19 July.

The decision to open negotiations for an Association Agreement
reflects an evolution of a continuous strengthening of relations
building on the first agreements that entered into force in 1999. It
also demonstrates the EU~Rs commitment towards its Eastern neighbours
in realising the opportunity to widen and deepen relations with the
EU within the framework of the Eastern Partnership initiative.

The main objective of the Association Agreements is to achieve closer
political association and gradual economic integration between the EU
and the three Southern Caucasus countries. The negotiating process
will be guided by the principles of inclusiveness, differentiation,
conditionality and joint ownership, as well as by a strong commitment
of the parties to shared values and principles, including democracy,
the rule of law and respect for human rights and good governance.

Attending the event in Batumi and welcoming the launch of negotiations,
the EU~Rs High Representative/Vice President of the Commission
Baroness Ashton said: ~SArmenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia have shown
a clear ambition to intensify their relationships with the EU. I
am personally convinced that through establishing a comprehensive
Association Agreement this should impact positively not just on
political relations but on the lives of citizens, in terms of economic
opportunity, people-to-people contacts with the EU, the environment,
just to name a few. This agreement will be a catalyst to the domestic
reforms in these countries and can help us to focus resources on the
key institutions needed to make further efforts. ‘

Negotiations on the Association Agreement will cover the general
objectives and principles of relations of the EU with each of the
three countries, political dialogue and co-operation on foreign and
security policy, Justice, Freedom and Security issues, co-operation
in specific sectors, people-to-people contacts (including areas such
as education and research) and trade.

The EU is currently negotiating similar Association Agreements with
Ukraine and Moldova.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA ANSWERED RED CROSS IN CONNECTION WITH THE RETURN OF THE AZERI DIVERSIONIST’S BODY

15/07/2010

Armenia responded to the poll of the Red Cross made to the Armenian
party in connection with the body of an Azeri diversionist killed on
June 18 during the incident in Chaylu village. The Azerbaijani Trend
informs about the Armenian answer citing the Red Cross. The killed
is a solder of the Azerbaijani army named Mubariz Aghaqerim oglu
Ibrahimov. The International Red Cross informed that they conveyed
the answer of the Armenian side to the Azerbaijani power and the
relatives of the killed soldier.

From: A. Papazian

JIGARKHANYAN TAKEN TO HOSPITAL

15/07/2010

Famous actor Armen Jigarkhanyan has been taken to a cardiology center
in Moscow. According to Lajf News, 74-year-old Jigarkhanyan’s health
sharply worsened on Wednesday. He complained of pains in his chest
especially while walking and eating. The diagnosis by the doctors
of the cardiology center was stenocardia. In 2007, the actor had a
stroke, this is why he needs to recover now, writes gazeta.ru.

From: A. Papazian

GOOD AND “THE USUAL”
HAKOB BADALYAN

15/07/2010

In their letter to the Council called Public, initiators of DILIJAN
international School expressed a noteworthy idea: “We should mention
that the legislative amendments which were the reason for the
negative context surrounding the DILIJAN project are not a necessary
precondition to its successful realization, however in its current
reading the law makes it difficult for the children of Armenia to
obtain IB diplomas at our school in case they desire to continue
their education at the universities in Republic of Armenia”.

In fact, now the founders of this school affirm that the law draft,
which was introduced before the parliament and became a subject of
public and political discussions, was not necessary for them. Earlier,
the same thing was affirmed by the head of the Regent’s school who
noted that he just talked to the Armenian power but did not express
intention to open a branch in Armenia. He even said that he does
not think it is expedient and necessary to open a Regent’s school
in Armenia. The founders of Dilijan School do not say such a thing,
they even say that their school is going to be the guarantee for the
development of Armenia. But they state that the law amendments were
not necessary to the successful realization of the school, but it was
necessary for the Armenian citizens who want to study or send their
children to those schools.

In other words, they say that they do not need the law, but “we” do.

In this case “we” are the advocates of the law, who present the issue
as if it is changed only for some people to make investments. For
example, both the president Serge Sargsyan and the Premier Tigran
Sargsyan said it. If Serge Sargsyan avoided giving names, using only
“two schools” expression to ground the foreign-language initiative,
Tigran Sargsyan, during his meeting with bloggers, mentioned both
DILIJAN and Regent’s Schools.

Now either Tigran Sargsyan tried to deceive people deliberately or
Tigran Sargsyan did not imagine the issue and found an inadequate
ground, or seeing the opposition of the society, the initiators
try to leave Tigran Sargsyan and to come out of the framework of
responsibility, as if they either never asked or demanded to change
the law.

The situation is really interesting. The issue is either being
deliberately rendered a confusion not knowing how to yield in front
of the resistance, or again deliberately, they arouse new passions
over the issue feeling that the public interest towards the issue
is weakening, while this could be a good topic to keep the public
occupied. By which one of these versions the power is led is difficult
to say. It is doubtless that those people, who proudly show their
courage to be worried of the future of Armenia, who dwell on Armenia,
new approaches, new values and cultures, intellect and science, do
not feel necessary to clearly talk to the society and to explain the
situation in details.

Anyway, it is evident that for example Premier Tigran Sargsyan needs
to once again explain to the society why he grounded the amendments
to the law by the presence of the DILIJAN and Regent’s Schools, if now
those people are found out not to need it at all. Or, if they did not,
what the reason is that they were tried to be thrown into the field
of responsibility. Maybe this is the reason why the initiators of
these schools hurried to tell the society that they are not involved
in the governmental initiative to go against the Constitution.

All this confusion stands also for the fact that in Armenia it is
impossible to dwell on qualitative progress if there is a huge issue
on public legitimacy. It cannot be that one official is good for the
society the other is bad, so good is done through the good one and “the
usual” is done under the veil of it. Power does not have different
faces – intellectual and uneducated, having nicknames and titles,
honest and thief. The face of the power is unique which is either
legitimate or not. And the society is not to be demanded or expected to
divide the power into various faces and hence to decide how to treat
their initiatives. Everything is linked and if those various faces
do not understand it or try to ignore, it is already their business.

From: A. Papazian

OBAMA NOMINATES RICCIARDIONE TO SERVE AS U.S. AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY

15/07/2010

ASSEMBLY UNDERSCORES KEY ISSUES IN U.S.-TURKEY-ARMENIA RELATIONS

Washington, DC – Earlier this week, the Obama Administration
officially nominated Francis Joseph Ricciardione, Jr. to serve as
the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, reported the Armenian
Assembly of America (Assembly).

The nomination comes at a time when Turkey’s relationship with the
United States and the West is in trouble as a consequence of a series
of Turkish actions, including voting against America’s position at the
United Nations on a key national security issue with respect to Iran
and nuclear nonproliferation, Turkey’s embrace of the Sudanese regime,
which stands charged of committing genocide in Darfur, as well as the
‘Flotilla Incident’ off the Gaza Strip that has hemorrhaged Israel’s
relations with Turkey.

‘In the past, when Turkey’s relations with the West have been rocky,
there has been a tendency to accede to Turkish denial of the Armenian
Genocide. The Assembly expects nominee Ricciardione will not do
anything less but to urge Turkey to end its campaign of denial and
come to terms with its genocidal legacy,’ stated Assembly Executive
Director Bryan Ardouny.

‘We expect the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey to press for an end of the
nearly two-decade blockade of Armenia and to ensure that Turkey
fulfill its international commitment to normalize relations with
Armenia without preconditions,’ added Ardouny.

News of the nomination also coincides with the conclusion of U.S.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s tour of the South Caucusas region,
which included a special visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial
in Yerevan. Given Secretary Clinton’s gesture and her long-standing
public support for U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide, as well
as the public statements of President Barack Obama and Vice President
Joe Biden, the upcoming Senate confirmation process provides a timely
opportunity for the Administration to unequivocally reaffirm the
historical truth of the Armenian Genocide.

‘The U.S. record of affirmation is clear as evidenced by the 1951 U.S.

filing before the International Court of Justice,’ stated Executive
Director Bryan Ardouny. ‘Ambassador Ricciardione would be well served
to follow in the tradition of Ambassador Henry Morgenthau and advance
Turkish recognition of the consequences of the Armenian Genocide,’
continued Ardouny.

The Assembly also anticipates that the Senate will press nominee
Ricciardione on Turkey’s human rights record, religious freedom and
treatment of minorities; specifically Article 301 of the Turkish
Penal code which precipitated the assassination of Armenian-Turkish
journalist Hrant Dink. The continuing delays in the trial of Dink’s
accused assassin remains a serious cause for concern for the freedom
of the press in Turkey and the safety of journalists in the country.

Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr. currently serves as Deputy Ambassador
and Charges d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. He
previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt
(2005-2008) and served concurrently as Ambassador to the Republic of
the Philippines and the Republic of Palau from 2002 to 2005.

Ambassador Ricciardone’s Foreign Service assignments include two tours
in Turkey, most recently (1995-1999) as Deputy Chief of Mission and
Charge d’Affaires; and service in Cairo, Amman, and London.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the
largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public
understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a
501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

From: A. Papazian